Durin patted Captain Xisai beside him, pointed at the dark figure on the hill, and asked, "What do you think that is?"
Captain Xisai was a bit suspicious. He followed the direction Durin was pointing, squinted his eyes slightly, then his face suddenly changed, and he exclaimed, "It's the Gnolls active here! They must have discovered our passage. Everyone, be on alert!"
Gnolls, one of the most common creatures in the wilderness.
They are far more dangerous than mountain bandits and brigands, a group possessing sharp fangs, claws, and sturdy bodies, while also having the intelligence of twelve or thirteen-year-old children. On the contrary, they are quite cunning; given the conditions, they can even arm themselves and use human weapons and armor.
As carnivorous creatures, Gnoll tribes typically maintain a size of around 15-30 individuals.
Whoosh!
—Pffft!
"Ah!"
"Gnoll attack!"
Miserable and panicked shouts erupted from front to back and all around.
Five bone arrows accurately passed through the gaps in the carriages, hitting several unprepared workers. The bone arrows, propelled by the Gnolls' immense strength, instantly caused severe damage to these workers, who flew out like broken scarecrows, raising clouds of dust on the ground.
In addition, five Gnolls with longbows emerged from the jungle.
One of the arrows was headed straight for Durin. Fortunately, his sixth sense had become sharp, and with 100 points in Running proficiency, his reaction was quick enough to dodge it by turning sideways.
"Ha! La la la la!"
"Ah la la la la!"
"Wa da da da!"
Strange howls erupted from all over the pitch-black jungle, and twisting dark figures charged out from behind trees, bushes, boulders, and hills.
"Prepare for battle!"
Seeing this, Captain Xisai, as the guard captain, shouted loudly.
Durin watched helplessly as a worker, fleeing in all directions, was suddenly met by a dark figure wielding a battle-axe, which lopped off his head. The top of his skull flew off directly, before his body even reacted.
"Awooo!"
With this wolf howl, over thirty gray wolves the size of calves darted out from behind the bushes further away.
Seeing so many wolves, Durin's expression instantly became solemn. He first cast an Arcane Wisdom buff on himself to ensure his mind remained calm.
Durin immediately put down the hiking bag on his back, placed it on the carriage, then took off the enchanted shield and put it on his left arm, drew his enchanted scimitar, and assumed the simplest defensive stance, placing the scimitar and metal round shield directly in front to protect his vital organs.
At the same time, the seasoned Captain Xisai, his face flushed, shouted, "Everyone follow me out to intercept the enemy! Organize the gunmen to provide us with ranged support! Arrange the carriages into a defensive circle!"
With that, he was the first to charge into the battlefield, wielding his warhammer.
As his voice fell, all the carriages began to turn, forming a circular wagon fort at the fastest speed. The unarmed workers hid in the innermost part, while also taking out the long spears kept on the carriages for emergencies. These spears were at least two meters long, and their sharp spearheads were excellent defensive weapons.
Although the weapons of these charging Gnolls were crude, with their starting height of two meters and weight of 300 pounds, even a bone club, when wielded with their strength, would inflict considerable pain on a human body.
Therefore, the disparity was clear at a glance. Furthermore, with the constant threat of those restless gray wolves surrounding them, given the current situation of the team, even if they repelled the attack, the losses would be severe, but this was excluding Durin's involvement.
Although Durin was experiencing such a large-scale battle for the first time, he had, after all, survived an encounter with a Demon before. Facing the Gnolls, he was still at ease, whether it was his 150 points in one-handed weapon proficiency, 100 points in Running proficiency, or the power of his fire spells.
Or perhaps, the faint Darkin energy lingering in his left chest, in his heart. Perhaps, as Stellatu the Darkin said, he needed a hearty battle, endless flesh and slaughter to nourish his Darkin energy, only then could he unleash the Blood Magic from his memories.
The Gnolls in the distance were very fast, and it wasn't long before they reached the caravan. Melee combat was always incredibly brutal, and as soon as the battle began, blood immediately stained the ground.
After Captain Xisai led the guards out to actively meet the Gnolls, a team leader immediately stepped forward and loudly shouted for the coachmen and workers to get onto the carriages for defense.
These coachmen and workers appeared very experienced. They climbed onto the large carts, skillfully found their positions, and the coachmen took down the flintlock rifles hanging on the front panels of the carriages, throwing them one by one to the workers on the carts.
Only a few carried pistols or heavy crossbows modified with Chem-Tech. They skillfully and quickly loaded their weapons before climbing onto the carriages.
The loudest sound on the battlefield was the roar of flintlock rifles, but unfortunately, the aim of the flintlock rifles was truly dreadful; only a few shots hit the Running gray wolves or Gnolls, who fell to the ground, blood continuously spilling out.
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